Products & services

RCL, Wärtsilä, and DNV GL announce Navigator of the Seas to feature industry first fire prevention notation

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 05 June 2019 05 June 2019

Even though great strides have been taken in detecting, containing and extinguishing fires, the best time to fight a fire is before it starts. The desire to work towards a zero-fire engine room led cruise operator RCL, technology group Wärtsilä, and classification society DNV GL to initiate a joint industry project to improve engine room fire prevention.

Since 2016, the partners have worked with stakeholders across the whole industry to collect data, analyse the key risks, and develop safety barriers to manage the most significant risk factors. As a result, RCL launched a program to enhance engine room fire prevention across its entire fleet and Wärtsilä offered technical solutions and procedures for the maintenance of their engines to lower fire risk. DNV GL has introduced a new class notation F(M-P), which focuses not only on the systems, but the processes and people to enhance the main safety barriers to prevent fires in machinery spaces.

“Our target is zero engine room fires and with these enhanced standards, we believe this goal is within reach,” said Anders Aasen, VP of Global Technical Solutions at RCL. “Any fire, even one that is detected and extinguished immediately, can impact not only the ship, but the operator and the whole industry. This is why we are so pleased that the cruise ship safety forum, alongside many other stakeholders, could come together around a set of best practices that strengthen safety barriers and were published in January this year. For RCL, this project has had the added benefit that we have enhanced our data analytics capabilities, which gives us an ongoing scope for further improvement.”

“This particular case has proven the power of cooperation between the customer and the supplier in order to take the next steps in safety,” says Jyrki Salo, Senior Product Manager (SOLAS) at Wärtsilä. “The creation of the 150°C design has its roots in the safety charrette held three years ago, where we worked on ideas for increasing safety in the cruise industry. Developing a successful SOLAS compliant product is a result of numerous design improvements. Wärtsilä’s long history of retrofit SOLAS compliant designs has resulted in a solution which allows going below 150°C. We have also used the lessons we have learned from earlier designs and adapted the new designs accordingly.”

The new DNV GL class notation F(M-P), which will be implemented in RCL’s new cruise vessel Navigator of the Seas, identifies key areas for preventing fires in engine rooms based on incident analysis, feedback from surveyors, and best practices from the industry. It sets in place standards and processes focussing on the prevention, detection and containment of oil leakage, the shutdown of system, as well as the prevention of ignition.

“The new notation brings together many aspects of barrier management to improve safety,” says Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, CEO of DNV GL – Maritime. “It covers not just the technical systems, but the processes used and the people involved, utilising best practices to provide a holistic approach to preventing these incidents. This notation shows the importance of learning from casualty data, and how by combining this with the insights from class and the industry we can work together to move safety forward.”

As casualty statistics indicate that many engine room fires occur when flammable liquid reaches a hot surface, the notation introduces process checks and technical measures to prevent this from occurring. There is overarching emphasis on both internal and external processes and procedures, with auditing of procedures to enable more efficient oversight. Likely areas for leakage are identified, and containment strategies for such areas offered. Control and monitoring of vibration in essential systems is an added requirement, with ongoing data collection included to show trends over time. Insulation of potentially hot surfaces is also a key issue to prevent ignition, so maintenance activities in this area are emphasised. In addition, the requirement for continuous improvement through data analytics means that owners and operators can gain ongoing benefits from the processes and systems they put in place to prevent fires.

Canadian ferry operator chooses MAN's battery-hybrid dual-fuel system

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 05 June 2019 05 June 2019

The Damen Gorinchem Holland shipyard has ordered a hybrid-propulsion solution from MAN Energy Solutions in connection with the building of two dual-fuel/hybrid RoRo ferries for Canadian outfit, Seaspan Ferries Corporation. The order covers the provision of MAN 35/44DF dual-fuel engines, fuel gas-supply systems and the main electric systems, including batteries.

MAN Energy Solutions will provide the solutions in association with Aspin Kemp & Associates (AKA), in which it has a 40% stake. AKA specialises in power supply, energy management and drive systems for marine and industrial applications.

Similarly, MAN Energy Solutions’ fuel-gas specialist, MAN Cryo, has been charged with supplying the new ferries’ fuel gas-supply system. MAN Cryo offers systems for the storage, distribution and handling of liquefied gases and was fully integrated into the company in 2015.

Wayne Jones OBE – Chief Sales Officer and Member of the Executive Board, MAN Energy Solutions – said: “We are very pleased to have won this order, and that our case was compelling enough for the customer to change an existing technical specification to our favour. It really showcases our strategic direction of developing sustainable technologies and solutions, and how we have expanded our business in recent years. This is a move that is now paying off as evidenced by the key roles that AKA and MAN Cryo play in this significant order.”

Jones concluded: “System technologies that help our customers to increase the efficiency of their plants and reduce emissions already form a significant part of our business, and also lead the way to a carbon-neutral future. The Seaspan order also fulfills our desire to increasingly become a supplier of complete solutions."

Jason Aspin – CEO of Aspin Kemp & Associates – added: “This order represents a strategic milestone for AKA due to many factors. First off, it showcases the successful MAN and AKA partnership, offering highly innovative, full turn-key systems to operators. Secondly, it is a great opportunity for AKA’s technologies to be deployed in our backyard in Canada with a leading and forward-thinking owner like Seaspan. And lastly, with a technology where AKA has been a first mover in several initiatives for over a decade, this demonstrates that the marine industry is opening to the value that hybrid systems provide in meeting their environmental reduction targets while at the same time reducing their operating costs. We are very excited to see this project kick into full gear and look forward to participating in a successful outcome for all stakeholders."

Dream Cruises selects SES Networks’ connectivity for cruise ship fleet

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 25 May 2019 25 May 2019

Dream Cruises, a brand of Genting Cruise Lines, has selected SES Networks’ Signature Cruise Solution to provide exceptional speeds, low latency, and unmatched fibre-like service to its passenger ship fleet, comprised of World Dream, Genting Dream and Explorer Dream, for the Asian luxury market, SES has announced.

Crew and guests of the newly-launched Explorer Dream will experience exceptional SES-powered guest connectivity onboard the 75,000-gross-ton, 2,000-passenger ship. The SES Networks’ solution will also be introduced onboard Genting Dream in September this year, completing the fleet-wide implementation that follows the successful launch of SES Networks’ managed service onboard World Dream, Dream Cruises’ second cruise ship, which debuted in 2017.

The new Explorer Dream will have homeports in Shanghai and Tianjin, as well as Sydney and Auckland later in the year. Its significantly enhanced connectivity will enable guests to chat with friends on WeChat, pick up a bargain on Taobao, or stream high-resolution video on YouKu without interruption or lag. It will also mean that guests can share photos and videos from their trip in real-time across social media, or battle with their friends in League of Legends as easily as they can on land.

SES Networks’ Signature Cruise Solution combines the low latency of its O3b medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite constellation with a fully managed end-to-end service, backed up by its highly reliable geostationary (GEO) fleet to ensure network resilience. The result is a seamless, high-performance broadband service delivered to everyone onboard the Dream Cruises fleet.

“Today’s cruise passengers demand excellent connectivity even when they are travelling on the high seas. As part of our efforts to provide our guests with the best possible services and amenities on board our ships, we partnered with SES Networks because of their high-speed capability to deliver a terrestrial broadband-like internet experience in some of the most challenging of conditions,” said Thatcher Brown, President at Dream Cruises.

"A Dream Cruise has the ability to deliver inspirational voyages at sea that create memories to last a lifetime. A key part of that adventure nowadays is the digital experience. Our Signature Cruise Solution ensures that passengers onboard Explorer Dream – along with World Dream and Genting Dream – will experience the new standard of enhanced guest connectivity,” said Simon Maher, Vice President Global Sales, Cruise Maritime Services at SES Networks. “Because SES Networks and Dream Cruises have shared values around delivering transformational and inspirational experiences at sea, we are incredibly proud to partner with them to enable this level of service.”

MAN propulsion package for TT-Line's new ropax vessels

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 25 May 2019 25 May 2019

The Jinling Shipyard in China has ordered 4 × MAN 51/60DF engines in connection with the building of 1 + 1 × 230-metre-long ropax vessels for TT-Line, the German ferry operator. The vessel will feature a complete MAN propulsion package, besides the engines, including propellers, a fuel-gas-supply system (FGSS), and HyProp ECO – MAN’s innovative, fuel-saving, hybrid propulsion system.

The newbuilding is based on TT-Line’s ‘Green Ship’ design, developed in collaboration with Copenhagen-based designer, OSK-Shiptech, and is scheduled for delivery in 2022, whereupon it is expected to enter service within TT-Line’s route network in the Baltic Sea. Operating on LNG, the new vessels will have 50% fewer emissions than TT-Line’s previous generation of vessels.

Lex Nijsen, Head of Four-Stroke Marine Sales – MAN Energy Solutions, said: “Running on LNG, our propulsion package will enable this vessel to operate on such low emissions that it will become the most environmentally friendly RoPax ferry in the Baltic. Our business, to a great extent, is based on offering systems such as this that help our customers to increase the efficiency of their plants and reduce emissions, while leading the way to a carbon-neutral future.”

MAN Energy Solutions will provide the scope of supply in association with Aspin Kemp & Associates (AKA), in which it has a 40% stake. AKA specialises in power supply, energy management and drive systems for marine and industrial applications.

Similarly, MAN Energy Solutions’ fuel-gas specialist – MAN Cryo – will supply the new vessel’s fuel-gas-supply system. MAN Cryo offers systems for the storage, distribution and handling of liquefied gases and was fully integrated into the company in 2015.

Nijsen added: “This order is the very first MAN dual-fuel, diesel-mechanical propulsion system for a ferry application, which reflects our strategic direction of developing sustainable technologies and solutions – as shown by the contribution of AKA and MAN Cryo. It also fulfills our desire to increasingly become a supplier of complete solutions."

Upon construction, the newbuilding will have the capacity for 800 passengers and over 200 articulated lorries. While designing the vessel, a particular emphasis was put on flexibility and fast, in-port turnaround-times. TT-Line currently has six ferries operating on various routes in the Baltic Sea.

MAN Energy Solutions’ scope of supply covers:

2 × 8L51/60DF + 2 × 6L51/60DF MAN engines offering a total power of 29,400 kW
MAN Alpha twin-screw CPP propellers
2 × twin-in, single-out gearboxes
An MAN Cryo FGSS featuring 2 × 500-m2 vacuum insulated Type-C tanks
AKA’s advanced HyProp ECO system
AKA drives, electric generators and motors for the PTO and bow thrusters.

In respect to the last point, five different operational modes for the shaft alternator (PTO) will enable a fuel-saving power generation in combination with a smart and flexible supply of the bow thrusters.

Merima expands in Germany with a new subsidiary

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 23 May 2019 23 May 2019

Merima Oy, the Finland-based company providing turnkey interior solutions for passenger vessels, took the next step in its internationalisation strategy in the beginning of April with the establishment of a new subsidiary, Merima GmbH, in Hamburg.

Like the parent company in Helsinki, Finland, Merima GmbH offers project management and consultation services for ferry and cruise ship interior construction. The existence of a dedicated company in Germany allows Merima to better and faster respond to the needs of its major customers there and to tap to a larger talent pool in recruitment.

“This is something we have planned for a long time,” Mikko Mäkiranta, the COO of Merima Oy, explains. “We have been working in Germany for twenty years now, but in the past we have always been guests. Now Merima comes to Germany to stay. We see plenty of potential for future growth in Germany. The establishment of a dedicated company there allows us to better recruit new staff, expand our partner network and more efficiently serve the needs of our customers in Germany and elsewhere. We want to diversify, expand our company’s competence and to be able to take on even more demanding projects. Having a subsidiary in Germany serves all these goals.”

As a maritime hub with good connections to both Germany and abroad, Hamburg was the natural choice for the location of Merima GmbH. ”Our goal has always been to hire the best people for our needs, and having an office in Hamburg naturally makes it easier for us to hire the best talents in Germany,” says Minna Mäkiranta-Blyth, CAO of Merima Oy and one of the CEOs of Merima GmbH. “Our vision is that Merima GmbH serves its customers effortlessly, with a team that understands the local culture. The key to this is finding the right talents – which, I’m happy to say, we’ve been very successful at. The German subsidiary, in turn, serves the overall Merima organisation, the company’s growth and – most importantly – our customers around the globe.”

Merima is currently recruiting talented staff for the Hamburg office, which is expected to be fully operational and serving customers by the end of April.